Greetings, comrades, and welcome to the 126th running of the Conquer Club Dispatch!

I have to tell you how very happy I am. After several issues with no articles from the Clans or the Foundry or the SoC, we suddenly have the return of all three!

Betiko has given us reports on both CC5 and CC4 in the Platoon Report.

In Cartographic Surveillance, Foundry Foreman RedBaron0 updates us on the state of the Foundry, and in order to get your help he is announcing a NEW CONTEST! Yes, that's in addition to the very successful Guess the Map contest, also in Cartographic Surveillance, which is now in its 7th round!

In Strategic Services, Deputy SoC Chief macbone brings us an interview with SoC teacher TheGreys. Wow, what an interview! It packs a punch right from the first paragraph and never lets up.

In the Mess Hall, DoomYoshi brings us a fun little trivia contest. No prizes, no awards, just a bit of community fun. Finally, in Current Recon, I provide my regular round-up of news from around the site. Oh, and did I mention our cool new section headers?

But first and foremost, our leader, Hiz Majesty, the captain of our ship and pilot of our plane, the astounding, the incredible, the supremascent supremest, the big Whammy Burger himself, gives us the View From the Top (or from the bottom, depending on which angle you're looking from) and discusses the new servers, an upcoming event, and a new option for how to play your games.

For those who understand kooky gibberish like server load data, we have gone from peak load averages of up to 100 to below 2... meaning that requests are being processed so quickly that none are queuing up. This is great for user experience, and also means that we have the ability to add more features and take other steps that may have previously been a drain on resources. If you see blakebowling around, give him a tickle under the chin for his massive help in getting this together for us!

*Upcoming Event!*

Speed Demons, Battle Royale beasts and lovers of oozing bodily fluids... prepare to take our new servers out for a spin in our upcoming Halloween event....

*Play CC on Facebook!*

You can now play CC on Facebook! Just authorize the Facebook App here then head to Facebook. You can also access CC on Facebook via the Apps link on your left hand navigation.

With the inactivity in the Foundry in recent times, things have been forgotten and allowed to build up. Well I'm going to try and get things back in order, and while I should have done this earlier, I'm doing this now at least. So folks I just need a couple minutes of your time to look at one or a few of these maps below to help me decide whether or not they are ready to be quenched.

All posters in the Beta Maps will receive 25 Conquer Credits(enough for 1 random box of cyan stars) and will be entered into a drawing for 575 Conquer Credits(Enough for 1 random box of Blue stars)Disclaimers:-Offer constrictive criticism for any of the maps in the Beta Maps section.("Nice map!" and "This map blows!" and the like does not count and will be ignored.)-1 25 Conquer Credit prize per member.-1 entry for 575 Conquer Credit prize per post.-Posting must occur between now and 10/31/14.-Muffins will be accepted as bribes. Not really... maybe.Spam rules of the forum still apply. You must have played on the map prior to the post.

.This round comes with a surprise! Two maps are rotated as shown on the picture! In this sixth installment, the difficulty is EXTRA MEGA HARD!

In this contest, you will identify Conquer Club maps by small samples extracted from them. Look in the circles, see if you can spot what map that image is extracted from, and PM to dakky21. There will be 10 rounds with 9 images each, for a maximum score of 90. The images will gradually become more difficult as the issues move on.

You must PM your answers to dakky21. Please do not answer by posting in the thread or PMing to anyone else. Only answers sent to dakky21 will be official.

Answers to each issue's quiz must be sent within ten days after the actual publication date.

Minor typos will be overlooked. If you mean "Jamaica" and you type "Jamiaca" that's fine. HOWEVER, we are not finishing your thought for you: there is both a Baltic States and a Baltic Crusades. If you just type "Baltic" that is a WRONG answer, because it would require us to finish the thought and decide between Crusades and States.

To qualify for any of the above prizes, you must score at least 35 points over the course of the contest.

If and only if we get 25 or more contestants, we will have a random draw for a 6th GA medal.

If and only if we get 75 or more contestants, the top player will get a Challenge Medal in addition to other prizes.Editor's note: we got the 75 in our first installment!

Every issue the top contestant will get one or more Conquer Stars. Just like everything else about the stars, this is shrouded in mystery, so there's no telling what kind of star you will get! Drab? Auburn? Pink? A box of 50 Auburns? Wouldn't you like to know? This star prize can only be won once, so if you win it in week 1 and you are the top contestant in week 2 again, the prize in week 2 will go to the second place contestant, and so on down the list.

So the 5th edition of the most prestigious interclan challenge is underway since this summer! I think it's time to update you guys on how everything has been rolling. Have a look at the brackets for a start:

let's go in details from top left to bottom right (the figure next to each clan corresponds to its initial seeding):

Round of 16:

RIGHT BRACKETS

ACE (1) vs RGX (16) ACE, the unlucky semifinalist of the past CC4 (they lost against TOFU after a marathonian 6 month+ war including a breathtaking tiebreaker) was facing GON on the first round and left the underdog with no chance (current score is 28-7, war not finished but clinched pass to the round of 16!)RGX on their side were the last seeded team of the 16 and was facing a much balanced challenge against HH. In spite of the very similar level of both clans, RGX won by a convincing final score of 25-16The next round probably seems like one of the most unballanced of the round of 16, as the first seeded team is facing the 16th. Can the miracle happen? I personally doubt it, RGX will have to show what they've got!

RET (9) vs FALL (8)RET made it through after facing FAD with a significant margin (26-13, war not finished but clinched pass to the round of 16!)FALL on their side were facing VVV, and although it isn't finished yet, seem to be the clan that will manage the most impressive score (30-8 so far but clinched pass to the round of 16!)This is going to be a tough call as anything could happen in this duel. RET and FALL are both clans on the rise, and this is definitely going to be interesting to figure the outcome

PACK (4) vs LHDD (13)PACK was facing AQOH (RIP) and won with a final score of 26-15. This sadly concluded the presence of the losing clan in the clan world since they disbanned after thatLHDD was facing FISO and won with the same final score of 26-15.Now I'm not going to lie; being an ex-packer and a newly hussard; this war was going to have a special feel for me! LHDD and pack also faced each other less than a year ago with PACK beating LHDD by a landslide (30-11). This round of 16 is the only one that started a while ago and the war is finishing. The current score is 26-16 for LHDD... will the dragons have what it takes to beat the odds and win against the bookie's favorite? With only 5 wins left, it seems very likely.

FOED (12) vs TSM (5)FOED qualified after beating KNT by an impressive 30-11TSM qualified after beating ATN by a no lesser impressive 29-12On the paper, TSM is of course the favorite but FOED is in the middle of a hot streak since this summer. I wouldn't put all my money on the monkis, as I'm pretty sure FOED will give a tough fight.

LEFT BRACKETS

TOFU (2) vs MM (15)TOFU hasn't started their participation in the CC5 yet given that they are one of the CC4 finalists (ongoing)MM was facing LOTZ on the first round and after a big spanking (18-3) on the first batch, LOTZ thought they had enough and didn't show up for batch 2This seems like an uneven challenge, TOFU being one of the big cheeses of the competition, it seems unlikely to see them getting eliminated on their first round against MM.

RA/MYTH vs ATL (7)RA and MYTH is the only war undecided and is still a very close call (currently 18-16 for RA), it seems still impossible to determine who will win this war at this point.ATL qualified after beating rather easily GR 29-12RA and ATL have a long history together... but Atlantis vs Mythology sounds cool. What's it gonna be?

KORT (3) vs TNC (14)KORT, just like TOFU is in the middle of the CC4 finals and will start the CC5 in this roundTNC has made it through after beating SOH 26-15Ok, I might not be taking many risks there, but I would hardly imagine KORT, winner of 2 CC cups (perhaps 3 after the CC4 finals?) getting eliminated on their first round. But TNC are a crazy bunch and will most likely give a tough fight!

LEG (11) vs OSA (6)LEG qualified after beating the newcommer clan TWD by 27-14OSA has just clinched their victory against another new clan PHNX 27-13 (still ongoing)This will be rather odd... OSA without Benga, LEG without Ollie. I think it is hard to predict as these two clans were doing great this year, but have lost some key players. OSA remains favorite, but LEG getting away with it is clearly an option!

Now I guess a lot of you are wondering.... What is really going on in the finals? Of course, KORT and TOFU are not giving away anything so I will invite you to dive in with me with your fog goggles to try and figure out stuff!Here are my personal forecasts of the ongoing games!

SoC Graduate Grilling - Janomike and doublediamondby macbone For this month's SoC interview, I spoke with TheGreys, who graduated several months ago and has come on board as a Terminator/Standard teacher. I wasn't prepared for what I would learn.

Vital stats:Signed up for basic training: March 17, 2014Graduated from basic training: August 18, 2014Started teaching duties: September 24, 2014

macbone: Thanks for agreeing to do this interview, man!

OK, first question - why TheGreys? I think you're the first Conquer Club player I've met with a plural username (though there are probably others).

TheGreys - I could go the easy route and say I'm a scifi nut and that would be true. The name actually is very close to my heart. We formed a support group while receiving various chemotherapies at Highland Hospital infusion center. We were all pale, skinny, and our heads looked big. Someone said we looked like grey aliens. We began to call ourselves the greys as a joke. I joined CC in this time and used the name. Some in this group have given up their spirit, gone but never forgotten. Didn't think that would be such a loaded question, did you.

mac: Wow, man, I had no idea. Thank you for sharing that. OK, next question. What brought you to Conquer Club?

Greys - Deadbeats. I was getting my Risk fix playing a Risk app but the AI gets boring and there was too much deadbeating. I tried a few sites and CC stuck. I liked the active community and that my questions were answered in the help chat.

mac: Why did you decide to join SoC training?

Greys - I was a bit of a bonus monkey. Stacking was very different than how I learned to play. I tried stacking in my risk app after reading the 1st 4 moves to prove to myself it would not work and I keep winning. I was also losing escalation games here in CC. So I wanted to learn more about stacking.

mac: What has stayed with you the most about training?

Greys - What stood out at first was how well the teachers could read the board. It's the hardest part to learn and the most important. I also liked how different each teacher's style was while sticking to the same strategy. I think it makes for more well rounded and adaptable students.

mac: Why did you want to become an SoC teacher?

Greys - I have always liked coaching and thought correctly that I would enjoy teaching Risk. Selfishly it sorta extended my training. I've always believed teaching was a great way to learn.

mac: I see that you're a fan of a variety of settings. What are some of your favorite maps?

Greys - Hands down CC has the best maps of any Risk site. I love the classic map, it brings me back to playing with my father, siblings and friends as a youth. Conquer Rome, World 2.1, NYC, and SF are some of my other favorites. I keep a random map game going to try new maps.

mac: If you could sit down for a game of Risk with five other people, living or dead, who would you choose, and why?

Greys - A little cheesy but i would love to get the Risk group I played with as a youth together for a reunion game.

mac: You discover that the truth really is out there. What is it?

Greys - The truth is you're not alone! We're out there and when the time is right, your WORLD is MINE!

~~~~~

Thanks for the interview, TheGreys, and thank you, too, man, for being willing to give back to the SoC.

If you'd like more information about SoC basic training or team training, feel free to shoot a PM to either me (macbone), dhallmeyer, or any of our SoC teachers.

We're also looking for a few good team teachers, so if you're interested in helping players get a handle on team play, contact either me or any of our team staff.

On October 4th, the Great War team implemented the first Freemium-friendly tournament in the Great War series: Mulhouse-Lorraine. This tournament explored not only the battles in the opening days of World War I, but also the history of the conflict, tracing it back to the disintegration of Charlemagne's Empire. In the final tally, seven iterations of the Mulhouse-Lorraine tournament began, involving 122 players.

Also on October 4th, as a fun little side project in the Great War, I launched the Great War Guessing Game. We are still waiting for the winner! And here's a little secret -- once we have a winner, we are going to restart that game with a new goal and a new prize!

On October 12th, we were offline for an extended period while the new servers were put in place. As discussed above in bigWham's column. A poll in the General Discussion forum is collecting data on just how many people have noticed a significant improvement, and by how much.

On October 16th, bruceswar's map Baltic States was officially quenched. Our congratulations to Bruce on this great milestone!

Keep an eye out today for the Battle Off Texel, the latest autotourney in the Great War series and the first to be all-freestyle.

OSA is seeded 6th and you guys 11th. Those results you are showing are simple skirmishes not wars. They are theoretically slightly superior, if you guys win it would be more of a surprise that if OSA beats you, that s it. Doesn t mean you guys are going to lose...

Just look at us... LHDD vs pack I guess that you wouldn't have expected us to beat them, they were one of the top seeds and we were just seeded #13.

Just one thing to mention to the developers in CC: (Don't know if this would be the right place.)If CC is opened from within Facebook, links do not work in CC. As a standalone application it does work OK.

Roy

Atom1: I've lost my electrons! Atom2: Are you sure? Atom1: Yes I'm positiveTODAY IS THE OLDEST YOU'VE EVER BEEN, YET THE YOUNGEST YOU'LL EVER BE, SO ENJOY THIS DAY WHILE IT LASTS.